
A lively college lecture spirals into a personal crisis when Danny Jones, a skeptical sophomore, dares to challenge the heroic image of Columbus. His off‑beat argument sparks ridicule from a sharp‑tongued professor and classmates, pulling him into the awkward world of a small‑town campus where every remark echoes long after class ends. As he navigates the teasing and the pressure to conform, Danny receives a surprising telegram that forces him to confront family history and the weight of inherited beliefs.
The novel blends humor with thoughtful commentary, using Danny’s awkward encounters and his late uncle’s admonition—“never take any fact for granted”—to explore how myths shape our understanding of the past. Through witty dialogue and vivid campus scenes, it invites listeners to question accepted stories while following a young man’s search for his own voice amid the chaos of academia and personal loss.
Language
en
Duration
~51 minutes (49K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2008-10-24
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1928–2008
Best known for fast-moving crime and science fiction, this versatile American writer published under several names and built a career that ranged from pulp magazines to acclaimed historical novels. His work includes the detective Chet Drum series and the prizewinning novel The Memoirs of Christopher Columbus.
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